Giorgio Gomelsky (1934 – 2016)
Gomelsky played a major role in the career of the mighty Yardbirds, among others. Hamish Grimes – Giorgio’s partner at The Crawdaddy Club was in the mid-60’s looking for an outfit to take over the Rolling Stones’ residency there. To keep interest up, these two thought that a hard-edged band with an experimental leaning would be the ticket. Already successful and able to give up dayjobs, The Yardbirds were in the right place at the right time as Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham pulled the Stones from the residency. It could have been Richmond’s finest or that Irish crew, called – er, what was it? -Them! An initial drop-off in attendances soon morphed into packed houses as word spread that this was an exciting act creating their own sound AND able to improvise, go with the moment. This was mainly down to bassist Paul Samwell-Smith. The Yardbirds’ fan mail at that point was handled by one Julie Driscoll, later to sing with the magnificent keyboard ace Brian Auger.
The Yardbirds started playing the likes of Studio 51,where the Downliners Sect and Brett Marvin & The Thunderbolts had already established a keen audience for r&b-inspired mayhem. When Top Topham, a very young guy at that point had understandable domestic and educational difficulties in continuing with the music, the band recruited one Eric Clapton, on guitar.
It was Gomelsky who set his sights for the group on the USA and indeed had already brought over to England US blues stars like Sonny Boy Williamson II, who made live recordings with The Yardbirds as his band. Gomelsky ensured that the group secured plenty of work and the original sound of the ensemble was honed to the point that despite the origins of their music, The Yardbirds would knock American audiences flat on their backs. As Alice Cooper, Aerosmith and many other American acts would concur…
Born in Georgia, raised in Switzerland before moving to England, by 1978 Gomelsky was ready to relocate to New York. He lived in the same building that hused the Green door Club. Among other acts benefiting from Giorgio’s input and guidance over time were John McLaughlin (pre-Miles and Mahavishnu), Canterbury prog rock originators Soft Machine, Gong, Magma and Henry Cow. Cancer took him this week, as it did David Bowie and actor Alan Rickman.
Oh and it was Gomelsky who dubbed Eric Clapton ‘Slowhand’ during elongated string-changing!
Pete Sargeant
